View source for Drake Interplanetary

'''Drake Interplanetary''' is a [[Human]] spacecraft manufacturer that designs, manufacturers and sells spaceships in the ''[[Star Citizen]]'' universe. It is headquartered in [[Odyssa]], [[Borea]], [[Magnus system|Magnus]]. It is the fifth largest spacecraft producer in human space. Drake was founded in [[2845]] by [[Jan Dredge]] to produce the [[:Category:Cutlass series|Cutlass]] medium fighter for militia use. Drake has cultivated its image since then to appeal to those seeking less conventional designs.<ref name="galactapedia">{{Cite RSI|url=https://robertsspaceindustries.com/galactapedia/article/RLMm9KeZed-drake-interplanetary|text=Galactapedia: Drake Interplanetary}}</ref> Their ships have a characteristically robust and geometrical design that utilizes many low-tech materials. Drake's target group also includes militias and pirates. The former CEOs [[Jan Dredge|Jan]] and [[Jon Dredge]] cultivated the outlaw image from the beginning of the company, which raised controversies about Drake's responsibility for pirate-related crimes.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{Cite RSI|url=comm-link/transmission/15821-Around-The-Verse|text=Around the Verse - Trouble at Drake|trx=around-the-verse-trouble-at-drake}}</ref><ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/starcitizen/comments/d7szye/a_summary_of_star_citizen_live_all_things_lore/ A Summary of Star Citizen Live "All Things Lore"] - reddit.com, 09.2019, acc. 2019-10-03, source: [https://youtu.be/uuwOy8IslqU Star Citizen Live: All Things Lore (YouTube)]

After losing a [[UEE]] contract bid in 2845 for a low-cost, fast-production "volksfighter" ship, Drake Interplanetary re-appropriated their design, the [[Cutlass (series)|Cutlass]], as a civilian craft.

The initial pitch was to provide ships to private militia groups. The plan was that private squadrons in more distant areas of the galaxy would welcome a low-cost spacecraft solution. Regions specifically classified high insurance risks, the Drake board reasoned, would especially welcome an easier way to replenish lost spacecraft.

Following the public release of the Cutlass, Drake Interplanetary incorporated, with [[Jan Dredge]] as CEO, along with a seven-member board consisting mainly of designers who had worked on the Cutlass. Drake was not the surname of anyone involved in the project; it was selected as an acceptable "smooth-sounding" name, chosen specifically in the hopes that it would make their spacecraft more appealing. This was the first of a series of money-over-all decisions that would quickly come to define the company.

Another decision was also telling: rather than incorporate on one of the UEE's traditional "homeworlds" like [[Earth]] or [[Terra (planet)|Terra]], Drake based itself in the economically embattled system of [[Magnus system|Magnus]]. Basing both corporate governance and key factories on [[Borea|Borea (Magnus II)]], Drake's outlaw image became well established before the first production model Cutlass left the factory floor.